Of Sick Skittys and Grumpy Ursarings
by SRHtheHedgehog
Summary: Hikari gets sick and somehow suckers Shinji into helping her get better. Will Shinji lose it when Hikari requests a certain book? Ikarishipping, oneshot.


Um...This is actually an rp that I did with Prince Suzaku ^^" So...at least half of it is his.

I think it came out nicely, but it's really up to you guys x:

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Normally, Hikari was hot-tempered, with a loud mouth and short fuse when pissed off. That was a given to anyone who truly knew her. The blue-haired Coordinator, despite her sweet appearance and warm demeanor, could be as fiery as anyone when pushed to it, as her boyfriend could not-so-happily attest. The only time that fire was taken out of her was when she was sleepy.

...Or, in this case, when she wasn't feeling well.

Of course, Shinji pointed out, it was technically her own fault. He had _told_ her not to jump into that pond after her Feebas (even if it did indirectly result in its evolution into Milotic). He had warned her she'd get a cold, and he told her he wouldn't be taking care of her when she got sick due to her own foolishness.

Leave it up to the stubborn bluenette to make him out into a liar.

"Shinjiiiii..." Hikari groaned from her spot on the couch. "Could you bring me another blanket?"

"You've already got three!" he snapped. "Didn't you take that medicine I gave you? It's _supposed _ to reduce your fever."

Hikari frowned. "But it tastes terrible."

"What difference does that make? Just drink it already." Shinji was visually becoming more and more infuriated, his already thin patience being stretched to the limit. He wasn't her mother, nor her nursemaid; she could tend to herself. It was only a cold, after all.

Hikari sneezed for the billionth time that day. "Fine." She looked disdainfully at the tiny cup next to her. Swirling the dark crimson mixture around a bit before quickly dumping it into her mouth and swallowing, the young woman suddenly started flailing her arms around.

Shinji gave an exasperated sigh. "_Now _what?"

"Water! Water!" He glared at her. So she had the energy to wave around like a lunatic, but she didn't have the energy to get up and get her own water?

Of course, the purple-haired male had the good sense to keep that thought purely mental. The last thing he needed was a sick, annoying (or rather, even _more_ annoying) woman fussing at him or throwing random projectiles his way. As the purple-haired young man learned from last time courtesy of a well-aimed pillow, a fever didn't mess with her aim. And when she got angry, the language she'd use would make her mother faint from shock. But really. Hikari had a fever...not a broken leg. And it was her own fault she got sick in the first place. She was just being a baby.

With a forced calm demeanor, he walked into the nearby kitchen and grabbed a clear glass from the cupboard. The young man had just turned on the faucet and filled the glass before he heard Hikari's voice again.

"No! Don't use tap water!" Shinji slowly turned around. "Use the water in the refrigerator!" Shinji dumped the glass out into the sink angrily and stormed over to the refrigerator. Many words ran through his mind as he filled the glass with the filtered water from the door, but he somehow kept himself from saying any of them. The last thing he needed was more complaints from his "house guest" about horrible language.

With a smile on his face that inspired more fear than calm, the purple-haired man strode into the living room, where, underneath a thick cocoon of comforters, was his girlfriend. Bowing in a mock-servile fashion, the sarcasm flared from Shinji's features as held the glass for Hikari and announced with fake gravity, "Your drink, madam."

"Shinji..." Hikari said, smiling, as she took the glass.

"What…is it?" Shinji said quietly, the fake smile still plastered on his face.

"...You look funny. Are you sick, too?"

The glass would have been shattered on Hikari's head by this point if Shinji had still been holding it. Silently, he counted to 10 in his head. The smile on his face, however, graduated from funny to outright Nightmare Fuel that would have made Darkrai run in fear for its life.

"Sh-Shinji?" Hikari said, coughing lightly. "You're starting to worry me."

"Just...go...to sleep..." he said with clenched fists.

_It's just because of the fever, just because of the fever, _the Sinnohite thought vigorously.

"But I'm not sleepy," Hikari said with a large yawn.

Shinji could have screamed. They both knew she needed to get some sleep so the medicine (which Shinji had to deal with a rude cashier at the store to obtain) could work, but she was just being stubborn. It was like talking to a child.

And then, suddenly, it hit him. He looked around. Reiji was nowhere to be found; it was just him and Hikari. Perfect.

"Will you go to sleep if I…tell you a story?" Shinji mumbled quickly. He hated the idea, but it had to be done. It'd shut her cryhole, make Hikari sleepy (and allow the medicine to help her get well) and allow him a few hours of peace and quiet.

Judging from the shy smile that blossomed on the blue-haired woman's face, he had said the right thing. Despite the immense aggravation that a sick Hikari could cause, he found himself struggling to keep that forced smile on his face, lest it become genuine.

"What do you want me to read?" Shinji mumbled, forcing his face back into his usual scowl.

"Um..." Hikari looked around. "Oh! I know!" She threw off the covers and stumbled over to a nearby shelf. "This one!" she shouted with a cough as she grabbed a book off the shelf. She dropped it into Shinji's lap before jumping back on the couch and wrapping herself back into her jungle of blankets.

She could move across the room for a book, but not five minutes ago she acted like getting water was like trekking to freakin' Kanto? Amazing. With a raised eyebrow, the violet-haired trainer looked at the title of the book. It was only the fact he promised to read it to Hikari that kept him from burning the text to cinders with his gaze. He may have been icy, aloof, an arrogant bastard and many other things that couldn't be repeated in front of children and small animals, but Shinji was a man of his word.

But still…

"...Are you kidding me?" Shinji deadpanned, looking at his girlfriend, then at the front of the book. Maybe he had read the title incorrectly. But sure enough, the blinding pink lettering remained the same at the second glance: _Skitty's Wonderful Weekend_.

Suddenly, _he_ felt sick.

_Skitty's Wonderful Weekend_. Shinji felt a headache coming on, the brusque trainer pinching his nose in annoyance. Arceus. The things he did for the girl he lo..._liked_. At least most of the time, when she wasn't loud, annoying, screaming or throwing things.

"My mom would always read this to me when I was sick," the bluenette admitted with a faint blush. "And since she isn't here…I was wondering if you'd read it to me."

At seeing Shinji raise his eyebrow, a firm "No" on the tip of his tongue at reading some asinine children's book, the blue-haired girl knew she knew she had to bring out the big guns.

"Pleeeeease?" Hikari put on her best puppy dog face, azure orbs wide and cheeks burning with a flush. "For me?"

Shinji scowled angrily at the floor upon seeing it. That was a cheap move. His girlfriend knew he could never say no to that face.

"Fine!" he snapped loudly, whipping open the book.

Again making sure that his older brother wasn't anywhere around (Reiji had a tendency to pop up in the oddest of places), one deep breath later, Shinji began from between gritted teeth and a deadpan tone:

**It was a fine summer day. The clouds were lazily floating up in the air, the sky was a clear crystalline blue and the sun was high in the sky. It was perfect for a fun adventure, for exploration. **

**However, Skitty's face was the grand picture of boredom. The trouble was that she didn't know where her two friends, Piplup and Turtwig, were.**

"**Such a fun day, and I can't spend it with my friends," Skitty mourned to herself, her tail wagging in disappointment.**

Shinji didn't even have to ask Hikari to know he had done something wrong. He literally felt her frown confirm it for him.

"What is it now?" he groaned.

"Well...it's just..." Hikari fidgeted in her spot on the couch.

"What?"

"Why aren't you doing the voices?"

Shinji looked at her incredulously. "Voices?"

Hikari's face lit up. "Yeah! Like, you have to make the right voice when you talk as Skitty! You can't sound like you normally do!"

"You want me to do Skitty's voice." He just wanted to make sure he had heard her correctly. Hikari wanted him, the infamous "Ice Man" of the Pokemon world, to imitate the voice of a damn cat. Clearly the fever was messing with her mind.

_I love Hikari_, he repeated in his mind, as if the Sinnohite was trying to convince himself of this truth lest he put his head through the bookcase. _I love Hikari, I love Hikari, I love Hikari..._

Starting the sentence over, a light grimace formed on the male's face as he gave it a shot.

"**Such a beautiful day, and I can't spend it with my friends," Skitty mourned to herself.**

It sounded more like a Meowth whose tail was being chomped on by a Snorlax, even he'd admit, and he waited for Hikari's judgment.

Hikari looked as if she was trying to hold back a smile. He glanced up at her. She nodded quickly. Was she trying not to laugh at him? Shinji's face involuntarily flushed red as he read on.

**With an unhappy expression on her face, the Skitty nimbly bounced off of her bed, putting on her pink bow and trying in onto her powder-puff tail. **

"**Maybe I can make the day fun by finding Turtwig, since he'd know where Piplup is," she said to herself as she left her house. **

**Of course, her happy thoughts were halted once she came across a small group of Rattata. Skitty recognized the group from past adventures, all of them mean-natured brats that loved to cause trouble and general mayhem for her and her friends. And at their head was their leader, the neighborhood bully and the self-styled "Boss of Rosemary Town"…Pikachu.**

He glanced over to Hikari yet again and caught her expression. She was deeply serious, as if she was worried about the character from the book. _How_ old wasshe again?

"**Hey there, little kitty," Pikachu growled, having a smile on his face. It made him look deceptively sweet, but Skitty knew he was anything but sweet, being both a bully and a trickster. "Where are you rushing off to?"**

**The Rattata and Bulbasaur were flanking the aggressive mouse, looking for some trouble. **

"**Looks like you don't have your two buddies to protect you this time," squeaked one of the purple-furred rats."**

"**Last time I checked," the Skitty smiled sweetly, "I didn't need them to beat **_you_**."**

"**You've got a smart mouth for a little powderpuff," Pikachu growled out, waving his sparking tail to warn the angry Rattata not to attack.**

Again, Shinji knew the expert Coordinator was frowning. What did he do _this _time? All she said was that he had to use different voices. It wasn't HIS fault that Satoshi's voice seemed appropriate to use as the swaggering Pikachu.

"Are you trying to sound like Satoshi?" Hikari said suspiciously.

"What gave you that idea?" Shinji replied innocently, giving her a knowing smirk.

"You _are_! Just because it's a Pikachu doesn't mean that it's Satoshi's--"

"_Anyway_…" Shinji interrupted.

"**I don't want any trouble from you today," Skitty stated, trying not to let the obnoxious Pikachu get to her. **

**Despite herself, her tail stood straight out, a sign of her rising anger." **

His Skitty voice was still...unique, to put it nicely, but for some odd reason, Shinji found himself wanting to see the little cat take out the Electric-type. The Skitty reminded him of his girlfriend. Very sweet, but feisty, possessed of a quick temper and not afraid to use her claws. The purple-haired male smirked to himself at the thought of the blue-haired woman getting into a fight with Satoshi like the Skitty. Visions of a bully-fied Satoshi getting the crap kicked out of him by his friend caused Shinji to snicker, an admittedly rare sight.

"Shinji! Don't stop now!" Hikari said. "What happens next?"

"Like you don't already know," he retorted. She _should _know, anyway, since she had the book read to her every time she got sick in the past.

"**You don't want any trouble?" Pikachu snickered to his cronies, still giving that deceptive grin. "Well, I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you off..." **

**Before anyone could even blink, the electric mouse tore off the pink bow from Skitty's tail and ran back to the group. Giving a grin like he ate a mountain of ketchup, the Electric-type finished, twirling his stolen goods on his paw. Seeing the little kitten's eyes narrow and claws outstretched, he hoped Skitty would come after it, his cheeks sparking for a Spark attack.**

"**Consider that a fee for your smart mouth."**

...Apparently, the writer of the book had a major issue with Pikachu. No doubt fan girls of the little yellow rodent, Satoshi foremost among them, would have an aneurysm at seeing their mascot turned into the bad guy.

Flipping though the next few pages, the story was everything the surly male thought it'd be. Finding her two friends, the trio went to the in-town carnival, where they encountered Pikachu and his crew yet again. After humiliating the little electric rat, they had a day full of fun, rides and cotton candy and good times. All in all, the story was so sweet that Shinji was sure it'd give him diabetes. No way could he get to the end of it without vomiting…

A rather devious thought formed in the purple-haired male's mind. If Hikari wanted him to continue reading this "story", he'd have to make a few...creative adjustments to it first. With an absolutely straight face, Shinji started his improvisation…

**While Pikachu and his crew were laughing, a terrifying roar echoed through the air as a burly Ursaring made his way to the group. Claws outstretched and with a look of cool dismissal, he marched over to where the bullies were harassing Skitty. Both mice and kitten were terrified at the powerful-looking beast, the former quivering like a bowl of gelatin at the much taller and more imposing Pokemon.**

Shinji smirked once again as he thought of himself coming into the scene to finish the job on Satoshi. Hikari was giving him a puzzled look from the couch, obviously wondering where Shinji was going with the story.

"**Go on, Pikachu," one of the shivering Rattata urged him. "Use your Thunderbolt attack to scare him off!" **

Seeing the sick girl's eyes narrow in realization at just whom he was imitating, the Sinnohite continued unabated.

**Staring up at the mammoth Ursaring, Pikachu did his best to put on a confident swagger, though he was definitely intimidated by the burly bear. Deciding to show him who was boss, the yellow Pokemon used his Thunderbolt, slamming into the newcomer with a force that had flattened most in the past. Judging from the bored look on the bear's face, he would have been better off using that voltage on a rock for all the good it did.**

**Not wanting to lose face in front of his gang or the Skitty he so often bullied, the speedy creature tried an Iron Tail next, thudding his hardened tail into the Ursaring's belly. Despite the juicy thud that indicated the attack connected, that Iron Tail did even less damage than the Thunderbolt. For the first time, the Ursaring looked down upon the surprised Pikachu when he spoke, his voice deep with contempt.**

"**Is that all you've got for me, little rat? I expected more from the 'Boss of Rosemary Town'."**

To Shinji's surprise, Hikari hadn't said a word since his little..."improvements" began. She had heard the story before many times, but it never turned into _that_. The blue-haired girl seemed slightly frustrated at first, having detected just who inspired her boyfriend's take on Pikachu. But it seemed that her curiosity as to where this was going trumped any annoyance she felt, so she kept quiet.

Now, Shinji was truly getting into his altered tale, as the ever growing smirk on his face indicated:

**Deciding to go for broke, Pikachu jumped back, his pudgy body crackling with lightning as he unleashed his Volt Tackle. Slamming deep into the belly of the Ursaring with tremendous force, paralyzing waves of electricity crackled around them both as his friends cheered their boss's victory. No one had ever gotten up for a second helping of Pikachu's Volt Tackle. Sure enough, the Ursaring had collapsed onto the ground, seemingly defeated, his smaller opponent smirking in dominance.**

**The smirk turned to shock when Ursaring slowly levered himself up onto his feet. He wasn't seriously injured, but the bear's eyes were blood-red, the power of its 'Guts' ability flowing through his body. **

Shinji was almost excited as he spoke, shocking Hikari endlessly. Maybe he _was _sick…

"**Now," the Ursaring smiled with razor-sharp teeth, "it's **_my_** turn."**

**Summoning an orb of blue light between his paws, the Pikachu had no time to react before he was hit head on with a Focus Blast. The fighting-type attack sent the yellow Pokemon soaring into the sky, screaming his name before he vanished far off into the distance, vanishing in the sky with a mere twinkle.**

"Wait!" Shinji looked up at Hikari's protest. "Is the Pikachu supposed to be Satoshi or Team Rocket? Make up your mind!"

Shinji gave her a bemused look. Only Hikari would protest over such a trivial matter. They were both loud, obnoxious, incredibly persistent and complete wastes of his time to deal with. The smile on his face was almost angelic as he answered.

"It doesn't matter. They're equally annoying to me."

Hikari sighed and laid her head back down. She should have expected as much.

**At seeing their leader so easily taken down, the Rattata were preparing to run from the Ursaring, only to be faced with the angry Skitty. Ripping the pink bow back from their possession, she then clawed them with her Fury Swipes attack before helping them follow Pikachu with an Iron Tail. **

**With all of her opponents gone, she turned to the faintly interested Ursaring…and growled in his direction.**

"She _growled_ at him?" Hikari questioned.

Shinji nodded.

"Why would she do that? Shin…I mean, the Ursaring just saved her!"

He merely went on without answering.

"**You're lucky I was just passing through," Ursaring stated to the feline, buffing his sharp claws as he stared down. "You would have been in trouble if I hadn't."**

"**I could have handled them by myself!" Skitty growled at the ursine Pokemon, anger at her perceived defenselessness clouding any sense of gratitude.**

"**Right. I'm sure your growling and smacking them with your puffy tail would have sent them running."**

**His words made Skitty want to use that 'puffy' tail to smack that arrogant smirk off his face.**

That conversation sounded very familiar to the world-famous Coordinator...

"Shinji...this story isn't about Skitty and Ursaring anymore, is it?"

"What gave you that idea?" Hikari glared at Shinji's uncontainable smirk. "It's just a stupid story about a stupid, noisy Skitty and a very brave, impatient Ursaring. An Ursaring that went out of his way to help the annoying little Skitty when she got in trouble, but got nothing in return but--"

It was then that Shinji got a pillow aimed at his face for the second time that day.

"Don't get mad at me because the Skitty's ungrateful," the purple-haired trainer scoffed, nimbly dodging a third fluffy projectile. "You should stop throwing those pillows, unless you're going to pick them up for later."

Hikari merely glared at the smug boy sitting next to her. Shinji could tell that she was getting better; she was regaining her energy by the second.

"Go to sleep already. I read the story and I even mimicked the voices for you."

"But you didn't even tell it right!" Hikari protested.

"You told me to read you a story. You never said I had to follow it _exactly_." Shinji got up and threw one of the pillows back to the bluenette.

He loved using loopholes; years of dealing with a well-meaning but pushy older brother made the purple-haired boy a master of them. And seeing the fire in her eyes again was...surprisingly comforting. Seeing Hikari being quiet, demure, soft-spoken—in other words, not like herself—had worried him a bit, though he wouldn't say that aloud.

Hikari threw her upper body back down onto the couch, placing the pillow underneath her head, finally giving in. Contrary to her claims of not being tired, she was fast asleep in mere moments.

Shinji looked around a bit. Reiji was nowhere to be found. Good.

He slowly leaned down and, after giving a few more suspicious glances around the room, he gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the forehead, seeing her smile grow deeper in her slumber. and dashed into the other room.

The purple-haired male took a deep breath, drinking in the quiet. Finally, some pea—

"ACHOO!"

The scowl on Shinji's face would have shattered stone, even as he reached for a nearby tissue. Damnit. He'd spent so much time around Hikari that he caught that she had.

"Looks like you need some medicine as well," she advised from up front, her voice as smug as Shinji's was a few minutes ago. Without another word and a scowl on his face, marched back into the living room and took a dose of that medicine. At seeing him shudder at the vile-tasting stuff, she snickered. "Brave, impatient Ursaring." Seeing his girlfriend smiling at him through bleary eyes, it was his turn to be shocked as she pulled him down onto her, hugging him shamelessly as she had wanted to do in thanks.

"Since you're sick, you can stay here with me," she smiled brightly. Not even Shinji could summon the iciness to deny her that, trying to take attention off of his blush by piling the blankets on top of them both. It was comfortable, even more so with Hikari there. Loud, annoying, hot-tempered Hikari...a perfect match for the brusque, arrogant, cold bastard he was.

Feeling her lips press against his own in thanks for the...inventive story, the blue-haired Coordinator soon fell asleep. And before Shinji followed her into slumber, he thought only three words.

_Stupid, ungrateful Skitty._


End file.
